Hop-cluster machine.



B. 0. HORST. HOP CLUSTER MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1912. Q 1,054, 121 Patented Feb.25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

E. G. HORST. HOP CLUSTER MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

II I Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

lllllllllll UNITED STATESFATENT OFFICE.

EMIL CLEMENS HORST, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO E. CLEMENS HORST COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EMIL CLEMENS HoRs'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hop-Cluster Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for mechanically picking hops and has particular reference to a machine for picking the hops from. clusters which have been separated from the vine during the earlier picking operations.

This mechanism is in a sense a combination with the machine shown in my co-pending application, filed of even date herewith and entitled separating cylinders. In that application an inclined cylinder of polygonal cross section is shown, there being separating means underneath the cylinder. It was found that many clusters of hops did not pass through the interstices in the cylinder but passed as clusters out of the lower end of the machine.

It is the object, therefore, of the present invent-ion to provide novel mechanism whereby any clusters which pass through the separating cylinder shall enter the cylinders of the present invention and there be finally separated.

My invention consists, broadly stated, in two cylinders, one rotating within the other and in opposite directions, the two cylinders being mounted at an angle to the horizontal, there being provided on the faces of the cylinder novel forms of picking devices as will be hereinafter described.

My invention will be more readily under' stood by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation, some of the parts of the outer cylinder being broken away; Fig. 2 is an end elevation, and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view showing the construction of the picking devices.

Referring more particularly to the drawingsit will be seen that I provide vertical supports 10, and horizontal supports 11 on which are mounted, in suitable bearings 12, the shaft 14 of a cylinder. The upper end of this cylinder is supported by means of a plurality of roller bearings 13 which bearings are mounted on portions of the frame- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 25, 1912.

Patented Feb. 25,1913.

Serial No. 705,770.

work as best shown in Fig. 2. As previously stated, the lower end of the cylinder is supported on the shaft le which is hollow in order to accommodate therein a smaller shaft 15 mounted at its lower end in bearings 16 supporting the smaller cylinder provided within the larger cylinder. The upper end of this smaller cylinder is supported on the rollers 17 as best shown in Fig. 2.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 there is shown at the upper right hand corner, a fragment of a cylinder 18. This is the cylinder of my co-pending application heretofore described. A hopper or chute 19 is provided in order to conduct unpicked clusters of hops from the cylinder 18 to the cylinders of the present invention. Provided below the cylinders is an inclined chute 20 terminating in a conveyer 21 for removing the hops and any leaves or trash associated therewith, this conveyer transferring the hops to the upper end of the cylinder 18 shown at the upper right hand corner of Fig. 1 through which they are again passed.

I will now proceed to the description of the cylinders of my invention.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer cylinder is composed of an end spider 22 and a plurality of circular rings 23. These are united by longitudinal members 2 1 and by a heavier metallic ring 25 at the upper end, this ring 25 being adapted for cooperation wigh the rollers 13 for supporting the upper en Mounted within the rings 23 and continu ous from end to end, I provide a corrugated metal plate 26 having, as shown in Fig. 3, rows of perforations therethrough, these perforations being V-shaped at one side and parallel with the aXis of the cylinder on the opposite side as shown at 27. There remains between each perforation a small strip of metal as at 28. As shown, the plate is bent into circular form and corrugated, the outer peripheral portions at each corrugation being perforated and riveted to the rings 23 as at 29. The portions of the corrugations nearest a common center contain the perforations. The smaller interior cylinder is composed of an end spider 30 and a plurality of connecting rings 31 intermediate of the ends. The upper end, as heretofore stated, supported on the rollers 17. Four longitudinally extending bars 32 are provided, these being bolted to the rings 31 and to these longitudinal members are attached metallic strips which are preferably shaped as best shown in Fig. 3. These strips of metal are perforated and have continuous edges 3i, 35, the portion 35 being used for the attachment of the strip to the longitudinal bar 32. In punchingthe strip a portion 3% is left in order to connect the sections 34:,

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 3, the openings in the corrugated members 26 and the finger strip 35 are V-shaped and presented in opposite directions, therefore, any hops extending through the openings will be picked without crushing. As shown in Fig. 1, these picking openings are provided one for each of the perforations in the length of the outer cylinder, that is, there is no perforation in' the outer cylinder which at any complete turn of the two cylinders has not been passed over by a picking finger on each of the tour longitudinal members 32.

In operation power is applied through the pulleys 36, 37 to rotate the outer and inner cylinders respectively, the outer cylinder revolving clock-wise at preferably 10 to 12 revolutions per minute, the inner cylinder revolving counterclock-wise preferably at a speed of 25 to 30 revolutions per minute. Any clusters of hops which have passed completely through the cylinder 18 are discharged into the upper end of the cylinders of the present inventions and as they tend to work downward, a portion of the hops depend through the V-shaped openings in the corrugated plate of the outer cylinder and as the inner cylinder revolves such clusters are picked into individual hops, the corrugations being high enough so that any single hops can not be broken up by the pickers of the inner cylinder, said single hops soon falling out through the V-shaped openings and deposited into the conveyer 21. A small proportion of leaves and stems may also fall into the conveyer '21 but the larger portion is discharged at the lower end to be removed as rubbish. The hops, and what vines, leaves and stems drop into the conveyor 21. are conveyed back and dumped again into the separating cylinder 18 at its upper end. The single hops, stems and leaves that were separated by the action of the present machine are finally separated and conveyed to the kilns.

It will be understood that such modifica tions as will be suggested to those skilled in the art are contemplated by me and are within the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a support, cylinders mounted on said support one within the other and atan angle to said support, said cylinders being adapted for rotation in opposite directions, one of said cylinders being provided with a continuous corrugated, perforated plate and the other of said cylinders having a plurality of V-shaped picking devices registering with certain of the perforations in said other cylinder, substantially as described.

2. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a support, two cylinders mounted on said support atan angle to the horizontal, means for rotating said cylinders in opposite directions at different speeds, one of said cylinders being provided with. continuous perforated corrugated lining and the other of said cylinders being provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending bars having picking devices thereon, substantially as described.

5%. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a support, two cylinders angularly mounted with respect to said support, means for rotating said cylinders in opposite directions, said outer cylinder be ing lined with a corrugated plate having V- shaped perforations therethrough and said inner cylinder having a plurality of longitudinally extending bars provided with picker devices having V-shaped openings presented oppositely to the V-shaped openings in the first mentioned cylinder, substantially as described.

4-. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a support, two cylinders mounted thereon at an angle to the horizontal means for rotating said cylinders in opposite directions and at different speeds, said outer cylinder being provided with a metallic corrugated sheet having V- shaped perforations, the perforations being made through the sheet in the portions which are nearest a common center, and said interior cylinder being composed of a plurality of longitudinally extending bars having picking devices thereon, the openings provided therein registering with the perforations through the sheet in said outer cylinder.

'EMIL CLEMENS HORST.

itnesses CALVIN T. Mullins, HERBERT S. SHEPARD.

I Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

